


don’t be afraid to fall (we’re all here to catch you)

by falsealarm



Series: keep playing my heartstrings, faster and faster [6]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Girl Band, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 09:46:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12273903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsealarm/pseuds/falsealarm
Summary: Kara thought she had this polyamory thing down but one evening with Lena Luthor shakes that confidence to the core.[Or Kara learns how three can become four.]





	1. bach on up, here comes treble

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta'd bc I wrote it in a little over a week and wanted to get it out in time for DCTVFemslash week and also bc extensive editing can be such a bummer. Many and every kudos to my partner in crime [pirateygoodness](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pirateygoodness/pseuds/pirateygoodness) for helping me through this part and just for being the best in general.

Kara’s on her fifth break of the evening and her third drink when the bartender finally decides to wink at her. He’s been toying with the idea for at least the past half hour, the flash of his smile is violently white every time Kara looks his way. She’s been grabbing her drinks from passing trays of champagne to avoid him but the bar is also near the hors d’ouevres table and with the amount of alcohol she’s imbibing she can’t avoid that area for much longer.

She decides to make her move as a new group of people enter the room. Using them as a shield as they head towards the bar, she has just enough cover to grab a napkin of salmon puffs and escape before the weasel catches sight of her. She sticks to the outside of the room, keeping clear of patrons that have so far only looked at her like she’s some kind of street urchin despite that fact she’s been playing music for them off and on for two hours already. But it’s extra cash under the table and free champagne and the tiniest bit of exposure so the night isn’t a total wash, especially if they restock the salmon puffs.

The crowd at the bar dissipates and Kara spots a woman in navy amongst the new entrants, her silhouette outlined by soft lighting from the balcony. She’s the youngest guest Kara’s seen tonight and by far the most stunning.

Her dark hair is loose at her back, lightly curled like it’s been through the day with her and the curtain of it sways as she turns, entrancing in its movement. The men around her are watching her too, eyes raking up and down her figure as they speak, as she laughs with a clenched jaw. She turns outward—perhaps to catch a waiter, perhaps for a small reprieve—and her eyes are luminous despite the low lighting, a soft green that seems to sparkle as she catches Kara watching her. The sudden interaction feels hot at Kara’s collar. She ducks the eye contact, managing to catch the bartender’s eye instead which earns her another wink and a shudder of disgust down her spine. When Kara turns back the woman has separated from her group. Her eyes are still mostly on Kara as she flits between tables, saying quiet “hellos” and “good to see yous” as she passes other guests.

It takes Kara more than a few seconds to realize the woman is very deliberately making her way closer. Her demeanor has already softened as she approaches, the strong line of her shoulders bowed, the set of her smile looser but Kara is still cautious and her eyes dart to the kitchen door, her closest exit point. But then the woman stops, just a few feet shy of Kara and asks, "Are you here with someone?"

"Huh?" She’s close enough that Kara can see her eyes aren’t just green they’re a lovely sort of faded sea green, gentle around the edges in a way that makes Kara forget where she is for a fraction of a second.

"This crowd is a sea of a certain age," the woman shifts a little closer, "and usually the outliers are plus ones."

"I'm here with the maestro," Kara answers automatically.

"Does his partner know?"

"I'm  _ performing _ ,” Kara clarifies, “the piano." She gestures to the sleek, black mass behind them and the woman’s eyes follow Kara’s hands, almost appraising them.

"You do have the hands for it," the woman replies and Kara twitches at the boldness of the woman’s comment. Sara said something similar when they first met, when Kara was still dating Mike but spending long hours in the West’s garage learning new songs. She said she’d always admired the strength of a pianist’s hands, the length of their fingers and Kara had been oblivious to the flirtation then but now, with the way this woman is watching her, Kara feels the heat at her neck flare.

A silent beat stretches between them but the woman is quick to fill it, smiling as she asks, "So, what are you playing tonight?"

"The classics,” Kara replies.

"The classics of classical music?" The woman’s smile ticks up at the corners and Kara laughs awkwardly.

"Yeah, um, I just did some Beethoven, I think the maestro wanted the Goldberg Variations at some point and some Liszt."

"So nothing fun?"

Kara narrows her brows, defends with, "Beethoven can be fun."

The woman is quick to parry, "but you didn't play  _ fun _ Beethoven, did you?"

She’s shaking her head as she answers, peering over her shoulder at the maestro who’s shoulder to shoulder with one of their bigger donors. "That’s not really the atmosphere I'm meant to be producing." Because Kara is only there as background music, Lena is the third person to talk to her in the two hours she’s been at the benefit and the only  _ patron _ at that.

"I think something upbeat might wake them up, don't you think?" The woman nods a little to her left and Kara spots a man seated in an armchair at the edge of the room nearly asleep in his snifter. “They can't donate if they're asleep."

Kara stifles a laugh, "I suppose that's true."

"I think you could get away with the Turkish March if you wanted,” the woman starts, “it's short, and Mozart, no one will complain."

"I haven't played that in years," Kara looks down at her hands, stretching out her fingers and wiggling them about a bit. "I don't have the music and I don't know if I can play it by heart anymore."

The woman closes the gap between them, leaning in a little conspiratorially as she lowers her voice, "if I can get you the music will you play it?"

"What?" Kara’s attention immediately drops to the woman’s lips.

"The sheet music, if I get it will you play it for me?"

Kara swallows, tries to keep her eyes up, "for you?"

"For the sleeping masses," she corrects with a smile.

"I mean," Kara pauses, looking back over at the maestro to find him slipping out of the room as if the universe is giving Kara a sign, "sure, yeah."

"Perfect,” the woman backs up a little, turning away from Kara, “give me five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Kara calls after her as she begins to step away.

"I'll be right back, stay put."

There’s a little weight behind the command. Kara feels it in the balls of her feet, in the length of her spine, willing her to keep upright, to  _ stay put _ . This woman—whose name Kara didn’t even manage to catch—has an energy about her that makes Kara feel a little unsettled, but then again that could also be the three glasses of champagne courses through her bloodstream.

The woman seems to have completely disappeared from the room so Kara quietly sips on her champagne until the maestro reappears. He scans the room, eyes narrowed as he looks from the piano outward and Kara realizes she was meant to be playing already. The woman isn’t back yet but Kara can’t wait any longer for her. She scans her internal rolodex of music, stops at Bach as she gets to the piano and takes a seat on the bench, smoothing out her dress as she settles. She’s got her hands on the keys when she hears a voice behind her:

“I thought I told you to stay put.”

Kara feels her spine straighten again and she turns to find the woman with an impish little smile on her face and a tablet in hand. “Sorry, I—”

“No,” the woman laughs, “I was joking, here.” She sets the tablet on the piano and Kara scans the screen to find Mozart’s “Turkish March” all queued up for her.

“You found it.”

"You doubted me?"

“Well, I don’t really know you,” Kara starts but the woman stops her.

"Come find me after this and I'll let you get to know me a little better."

"O-okay," Kara stutters as the maestro coughs behind her. Kara startles, turning to face the tablet and scanning the first couple lines to familiarize herself as the woman disappears from her periphery.

The crowd seems to liven up around her as she plays. Glasses clink, people shift in their chairs and by the end of the short piece she's even met with a bit of scattered applause. The woman is a little way off but she's smiling when Kara spots her, still clapping along as the applause peters out. Kara feels herself smiling in return as she turns back to the piano to set into some Lizst to finish off the rest of her set.

The woman is still exactly where she was at the end of the “Turkish March” when Kara finishes: elbow to elbow with a trio of men thrice her age who seem extraordinarily happy they've been able to keep her so long. Her smile’s gone flat at the edges but when the music stops her eyes dart to Kara and she looks almost relieved.

Kara only gets a few steps from the piano before the woman extricates herself: "Excuse me, gentlemen. I've a friend to catch up with." And just like that she’s slipped from their clutches and up to Kara's side, threading their arms together and steering Kara to freedom. "They were just about to ask about my dating life again," she sounds exasperated, grateful, "you've perfect timing."

"You're welcome,” Kara says with a small laugh. She’s letting the woman steer them but as she realizes they’re headed for the bar, Kara mumbles a quiet, "Oh no."

The woman turns to Kara, frowning, "Oh no, what?"

"Kara, right?" The bartender's smile is all teeth, almost sharp it’s so white and Kara feels another shiver of disgust as he says her name.

"Yeah," Kara dodges eye contact and feels the woman pull a little tighter on their linked arms, urging Kara closer to her side. Kara can feel the boning of the woman’s dress pressing into her forearm, smells the hint of her perfume: heady and sweet.

"Who's your friend?" Kara's not looking at him but the way the woman’s body posture has shifted Kara can tell he's flashing his smile at her now.

"Lena Luthor," the woman says curtly and Kara knows that name somehow but she can't place it.

The bartender definitely seems to know it though, Kara can hear it in his voice, almost like he wants to apologize: "Ms. Luthor, what can I get for you?"

"Two more glasses of champagne, thank you."

He pours quickly and cleanly and Kara takes her proffered glass as Lena turns them around, steering them towards a less occupied part of the room. They're still joined at the side, Lena’s hip bumping against Kara as they find a little table to stand at and Lena, almost reluctantly, loosens her hold on Kara's arm but doesn't move to put space between them. "Kara's a pretty name," she hums from the rim of her champagne flute.

"Oh, um, thank you,” Kara finds herself watching Lena’s mouth as she takes a sip. Her lips are painted a defiant shade of red, the color bold enough that is almost requires attention and Kara’s eyes linger long enough that Lena catches her staring. She stumbles over the rest of her reply. “So is Lena."

Lena simply hums in response, like it’s something she’s heard before and Kara wonders just how many of the men in this room have tried to hit on her. She seems to know quite a few of them but by all accounts she’s using Kara as some sort of buffer, someone to fend off the Viagra masses. Kara doesn’t mind, in fact she’s glad for the company, even if Lena’s sense of personal space seems challenging at times.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you play with the orchestra before.” Lena sets her drink down on the table, lets both hands rest against the base of the flute, fingers toying with the stem.

“Oh, I’m only second pianist,” Kara admits, then amends, “well third but Lucy’s out for six months in England right now.”

“So you’re stuck providing background music?”

“Yeah,” Kara looks out at the room and spots Oliver, the first violinist, setting up at the far end of the room. There had only been a slim chance that Kara could have performed in a quartet for the benefit but the maestro had decided a performance by Oliver would pull in more donations. He’s probably right—Kara’s sure Oliver is one of the best violinists in the country—but being relegated to ignorable background twinkling has left her a bit moody.

“You play beautifully,” Lena offers and Kara turns back to her with a shy smile, looking down at her hands which have mirrored Lena’s at the stem of her glass.

“Thank you. I don’t really play much classical music anymore so it’s nice to spend an evening with it, even if nobody was really paying attention to me.”

“I was paying attention.”

“For the last set,” Kara says, not looking up from her glass, “you’re the only patron that’s talked to me all night.”

“Really?”

“I thought this man was going to talk to me earlier but he swerved for an hors d’oeuvre platter instead.” Kara lets out a soft chuckle but Lena shakes her head.

“You were probably better off, the only thing these old coots want to talk about is investment banking and their beach front property. Not that there’s anything wrong with either but it can get repetitive.”

“I’m sure,” Kara says before taking another sip of her champagne. The bubbles tickle the insides of her cheeks and the sharp taste prickles at her tongue as she swallows. She’s sure a bottle of whatever they’re serving is worth at least half her rent, no wonder this is their sixth benefit of the year.

“So if you aren’t playing classical music, what are you playing?” Lena inquires as she takes a sip too.

“Oh, I’m in a band,” Kara answers as she sets her glass back down.

“A band?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of like soft prog pop I guess or well, this reviewer called it queer indie pop-folk.” Kara looks up and Lena’s brow is furrowed so she follows with, “which sounds kind of pretentious, musical genres are weird.”

It takes a beat for Lena to reply and when she does her face has smoothed out a little but there’s a small arch to her perfectly manicured eyebrow, “queer, huh?”

“Oh,” Kara swallows shallow, fiddles with the stem of her flute again, “yeah, most of us lean a little.”

“And you?”

Lena’s tilting towards Kara, close enough that their shoulders are almost brushing and  _ oh _ , okay maybe Lena isn’t just using Kara as a buffer. Kara feels something start to tangle in the pit of her stomach, it’s not panic but it’s definitely anxious and Kara can feel heat at her neck. Lena’s waiting patiently for her answer, the smile on her face slowly growing as Kara answers, “uh huh.”

“Do I make you nervous, Kara?”  _ Flirting _ , it’s definitely flirting. Kara can see it for what it is now and the knots in her stomach tighten a little.

“Nervous?” Kara parrots immediately with a strained laugh, reaching up to fiddle with the arm of her glasses, “no, I’m just—uh, preoccupied.”

“Do you have plans after this?”

“No, I mean yes, kind of.” Kara fumbles for an answer, Lena’s proximity making her brain go a little fuzzy but she does have plans after the benefit. Plans that involve both of her girlfriends and maybe a shower and definitely hot chocolate but Lena doesn’t need to know all that.

“Could I get your number before you leave?”

“I have a girlfriend,” Kara’s voice pitches up a little as she speaks and immediately she realizes she’s probably said that far too loud. She looks around to see if anyone heard and there are a few inquisitive ears tilted their way but no one looks particularly scandalized which hopefully means no one heard exactly what she said. Lena, however, did. Her brows are furrowed as Kara turns back around to face her, eyes flitting from her hands then back up to Kara as she puts some space between them. Kara feels something like guilt then, like somehow telling the truth has wounded Lena in a manner more critical than Kara thought possible.

Lena takes a few quiet seconds to process, long enough that Kara thinks about apologizing but then, “would your girlfriend mind if I got your number? I’d still like to be your friend.”

“Really?” Kara asks, truly dumbfounded that Lena could turn to friendship so quickly.

“I just moved to town,” Lena admits as she takes another small pause to finish off her champagne, “and finding interesting people here has been more of a struggle than I’d like to admit.”

“Yeah, okay, sure friends, I’m great at friends,” Kara says quickly, the anxious knots in her stomach loosening as Lena pulls out her phone.

“Maybe we could get lunch next week, you could tell me more about your band,” Lena says as she hands over her phone for Kara to put her number in.

“And you could tell me more about your, oh—,” Kara pauses, looks up from Lena’s phone, “I didn’t actually ask you what you do.”

“I’m getting my PhD in mechanical engineering.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Only amazing if I can finish my dissertation on time,” Lena says with a short laugh.

“Did you—,” Kara stops, trying to decide how to phrase her question. There’s no way a mere PhD student would attend this kind of function without some kind of connection but Kara doesn’t know how to politely ask how it is Lena ended up here tonight. She decides on: “Is this usually how you spend your free evenings?”

“My mother insisted I go in her stead,” Lena offers quickly, Kara can tell there’s a bit of distaste on Lena’s tongue at the mention of her mother but she finishes easily, “she told me it’s time I invested in the arts.”

“You do  _ like _ the orchestra, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Lena is quick to reach out and put a hand on Kara’s arm to assure her, “our family has had a box at one house or another every season for as long as I’ve been alive.”

“Wow.” Kara wants to ask about the other orchestras but she hears the telltale bow of Oliver’s violin, a hum that seems to settle the entire room, and Kara wants to stay but she’s already put in her time. “I’ve got to go,” Kara says softly, “I don’t know what Oliver’s playing but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“You’re not staying?”

“I have an early shift tomorrow,” Kara starts and Lena seems lost so she clarifies, “at my  _ third _ job. I have to get to bed.”

“Oh, alright,” Lena looks disappointed, or is it worried? Kara imagines Lena will get swept up by the mumbling crowd as Kara soon leaves her but she needs to sleep and Lena is apparently willing to accept that. “So, lunch next week?”

Kara perks up at the mention of food, nods her head vehemently, “definitely, yes.”

“Goodnight, Kara, it was a pleasure meeting you.”

“You too,” Kara offers a hand and Lena chuckles at it but shakes it all the same, a firm handshake, very professional and Kara laughs too.

 

—

 

The bus ride home lulls Kara to sleep.

She wakes up a stop too late after being jolted out of her seat and into the lap of an old woman holding a bag of groceries. She apologizes profusely as she leaves the bus, hoping out loud that she didn’t squash any of the woman’s tomatoes but the woman is too busy cursing her to hear. The few blocks walk back to the apartment is spent with her dress bunched in one hand and her phone tightly clutched in the other. There’s a text from Lena already on it, a simple “texting so you have my number” kind of thing but there’s also a smiley face emoji attached and Kara had, as a surprise to herself, actually been a little upset it wasn’t winking.

Sara’s sprawled out on the couch when she gets inside and Kendra’s in the kitchen, tea kettle in hand.

“There’s our little concert pianist,” Kendra says as she moves to grab a third mug from the cupboard, “how was it?”

“Boring,” Kara answers as she leans over to pull off her shoes, “for the most part.”

“What about the least part?” Sara chimes in from the couch.

Kara’s halfway out of her coat, is glad she’s facing away from Sara because she can feel a blush creeping up her neck. “Good people watching,” she bluffs, hanging up her jacket and focusing her breathing in an effort to will the color from her skin.

“What’s good about a bunch of old white dudes?” Sara’s up from the couch and at the island when Kara finally turns around, watching Kendra pour hot water into the mugs.

“Moustaches,” Kara says quickly, “and weird cufflinks.”

“Weird cufflinks?” Kendra repeats. She’s got an eyebrow raised as she slowly dunks her tea bag, like she doesn’t quite believe Kara’s fib.

“Yeah, real weird,” Kara says in an effort to buy herself time to come up with an example but she’s too late, Kendra’s already turned towards her and cocked a hip.

“Anything else  _ weird _ happen, Kara?” Kendra’s still dunking her tea bag and Kara reaches out instinctively for her mug for something to do, something to maybe give her more time to come up with a believable addition but then Sara’s at her side.

“You keeping secrets, Danvers?” Sara’s neglected her mug completely in favor of bustling up into Kara’s personal space. Her hair’s still wet from a shower and she smells like jasmine and Kara takes one small whiff before she crumbles with guilt and yell-mumbles:

“A WOMAN FLIRTED WITH ME.”

The room is silent for long enough afterwards that Kara immediately thinks she’s in trouble. Her mind races for what to do, what might soothe this sting she feels coming and she decides over explanation might be key: if the girls know every single detail of what happened they’ll realize that Kara had done no wrong. That if anything she did a right because she gave this woman a new friend.

“She asked me if I was with anybody at the party and I said the maestro and she said ‘does his partner know?’ and I said—”

“Was she hot?” Sara stops her mid-sentence and Kara nearly bites her tongue.

“ _ What? _ ”

“Was she hot?” Sara repeats, face openly curious as she looks up at Kara with bright eyes.

“I mean, I guess,” Kara says quietly.

“You  _ guess _ ? Did you take a picture?”

“ _ Did I take a picture? _ ”

“Of course she didn’t take a picture, you perv,” Kendra says as she takes a tentative sip of her still steaming tea.

“Did you get her number?” Sara’s already reaching for Kara’s phone which she’d absent-mindedly left  _ open and exposed  _ on the kitchen island. Kara tries to slap it out of her hand but Sara’s too fast, already speeding off to the couch with Kara’s now unlocked phone in both hands. “Is it Lena?”

“Stop!” Kara protests, trying to scurry after Sara, “give it back!”

“Did she have nice eyes?” Kendra asks from the kitchen.

“Oh,” Kara says softly as the flash of sea green flits into memory, “yeah, she did.”

“She’s got nice  _ everything _ ,” Sara says, holding up the phone for them all to see a picture of Lena at what looks like a different charity event. Her hair’s up this time, the long line of her neck emphasized by a low cut dress in a soft mauve.

“Damn, Kara,” Kendra calls from behind her. She’s rounding the island and heading towards Sara where the both of them seem to be swiping through a collection of photos, eyes widening and eyebrows shooting up this way and that. “Are you okay?” Kendra asks after a couple seconds.

“What?” Kara asks, brows furrowed, “I’m fine, why?”

“I’m surprised you’re still standing is all.” Kendra chuckles and Sara puts out her hand for a little high five as they laugh conspiratorially.

“ _ Rude _ ,” Kara spits, moving to sit on the couch as she cradles her mug in both hands.

“No, but really,” Sara says after a few more,  _ longer _ seconds of extensive swiping, “how are you still standing?”

Kara wants to be offended but she’s still not entirely sure herself. Lena wasn’t exactly coming on strong but it was strong enough that Kara, if not bolstered by liquor, would’ve probably melted into a puddle on the floor. “Champagne,” Kara offers quietly.

“Liquid courage, alright,” Sara says with a smile as she leaves Kendra with Kara’s phone and all but bounces onto the couch next to Kara. She’s close enough that her knees butt up against Kara’s thigh and she props an arm up onto the back of the couch to lean her head on. “So did you flirt back?”

“ _ No? _ ” Kara leans back against the arm of the couch, offended really that Sara would think her capable of such a thing.

“You’re allowed to flirt with other people,” Kendra adds in, as if she can read Kara’s mind, “there’s no harm in flirting.”

“Oh,” Kara murmurs into her mug as she takes a longer drink. It’s still hot enough that it’s a struggle to swallow but the heat feels nice in her belly and the scent of the chamomile in itself is already starting to soothe her nerves.

“I can’t believe you didn’t flirt with her,” Sara huffs.

“I told her we could be friends,” Kara crosses her arms over her chest, “I don’t flirt with my friends.”

“What’s the point of having friends if you can’t flirt with them?” Sara counters as her free hand snakes up under the hem of Kara’s dress to dance along the top of her bare knee.

“If this is your way of telling me you flirted with my sister, I’m gonna barf,” Kara threatens.

“Ew, no, but you should see how much Lucy squirms when she’s three shots in and I wink at her.”

“Winking is cheating,” Kara answers quickly.

“Especially when  _ you _ are doing the winking, Sara,” Kendra affirms, sitting down on the couch behind Sara and kissing her shoulder.

“True,” Sara agrees, shooting a lightning quick wink in Kara’s direction that sends a dumb ripple of tingles down her spine, as if Sara actually needed timely proof of her power.

“It’s nice you made a new friend, Kara,” Kendra says over top of her mug as Sara rearranges to nestle back against her shoulder and stretch her legs over Kara’s lap.

“A super hot friend,” Sara corrects.

“Like  _ super _ hot,” Kendra teases and Kara can feel her cheeks redden.

“You guys are jerks,” she huffs.

“Super hot jerks,” Sara corrects again.

“Yeah, whatever,” Kara tries to huff again but the smile on her face is too wide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part was a hoot to write and I tried not to take it too seriously so the chapter splits miiight be a bit off BUT WHO CARES MY DUDES, LENA IS FINALLY HERE!!


	2. two’s a snooze, three’s a bore, how about we jump to four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara is flush with feelings she doesn't know what to do with. Her girlfriends are not surprised.

It’s an unseasonably hot day. Kara can feel a trickle of sweat sliding down her back, lurching with every footfall on the pavement. She’d chosen to sleep in with Sara this morning but the trade off for snuggling had been a mid-morning run. Yesterday that wouldn’t have been a problem but today Kara’s drenched and panting by the time she finally makes it back to the front door of her building, her water bottle long since dry. The trek upstairs adds a new layer of pain to her aching muscles but she’s hit with a soothing blast of cold air as she enters the apartment. Sara’s already gone, her boots and keys are missing, but Kendra’s reading on the couch, a pillow on her stomach and a mug of something too warm for the weather sitting on the coffee table.

“I made such a mistake,” Kara pants as she bee lines for the fridge.

“Oh honey,” Kendra coos as Kara refills her water bottle and starts chugging.

The water is almost too cold, the pain of it barrels down her throat but as soon as it hits her stomach she feels a cool rush start to settle into her warmer parts. She sighs loudly at the sensation, setting the bottle down on the island as she starts to pull her phone from the cuff on her arm. There’s a new text message from Lena, innocuous but friendly, wishing Kara safety from the heat and Kara feels herself smiling.

“Who ya textin?” Kendra calls from the couch, her book open on the pillow on her stomach.

Kara gets a shiver of nerves, puts her phone face down on the counter as if Kendra could actually read it from this far away. It’s useless, of course, Kendra already knows who she’s texting but Kara answers anyways: “Just Lena, she said she hopes I don’t have to go outside today since it’s so hot.”

“Too late,” Kendra laughs, “you should send her a picture of your face.”

“Oh no, I look horrible.” Kara can see a glimmer of her reflection in the mirror across the room and while her hair is still in relatively good shape she’s red as a strawberry and sweatier than she’s been in a while.

“Still pretty cute though.” Kendra’s sitting up from the couch now, pulling her mug to her lips to take a sip of what Kara assumes is probably oolong, Kendra likes to be centered when she reads.

“You don’t think that’s like, weird?” Kara asks after Kendra finishes her drink. Because it feels weird, sending a selfie to a new friend, especially one Kara hasn’t seen since their initial meeting. She and Lena have been texting fairly consistently over the past week but it’s been general new friendship stuff for the most part. She’s learned more about Lena’s PhD—mechanical engineering is really the only part Kara understood, Lena was quick to cut herself off when she got too specific—and Lena’s learned more about the band, about Kara’s job at the cafe and her very sporadic work with the orchestra. Lena’s smart and inquisitive and honestly much nerdier than Kara thought she would be so Kara’s been enjoying their budding new friendship but she’s not sure if they’re to the selfie level yet.

“You can send it to Sara too if it makes you feel better,” Kendra answers. She’s up from the couch with her mug, now empty apparently, as she rounds the island to set it in the sink. “And send one to me too, I’d like to remember this face.” She kisses Kara’s forehead as she heads to the bathroom, nose wrinkling a little as it gets wet with sweat.

Kara is almost hesitant to pull up the camera on her phone. She’s sure she looks a riot but it really is the perfect time to send a selfie, she’d probably regret the missed opportunity more than the actual send. Her hair is in much more a state than she realized when she swipes to get the front-facing camera, the wisps at her forehead are half-plastered to her skin in sweat and her ponytail looks inches lower than it was when she started her run. Her face seems almost redder in the kitchen lighting so she steps out into the living room.

“Window lighting,” Kendra calls out from the bathroom as Kara steps on the squeaky board by the couch. Kara feels another tickle of nerves in the pit of her stomach at being called out but the selfie was _Kendra’s_ idea so she shouldn’t feel guilty. There’s no way she’s actually going to look good in this picture so she snaps three with varying facial expressions, decides on the one that looks the most distraught and sends it off.

Sara has already replied by the time Kara’s crossed the room, a string of fire emojis and then a follow up text with “please drink water” that has Kara smiling as Kendra opens the bathroom door.

“Shower time,” Kara announces as they switch places.

Kara’s in the midst of stripping off her sports bra when she hears Kendra exclaim through the door: “This is your new contact photo by the way.”

Kara rolls her eyes as she pulls her hair from her ponytail. She steps out of the rest of her clothes and into the shower before she’s started the spray. The initial dial turn has Kara shivering from head to toe but it’s a good kind of shock, dulled almost immediately by the heat radiating from Kara’s skin.

She emerges afterwards smelling of soap and Sara’s shampoo. She towels off slowly, patting dry her hair and combing it out before opening the door to pad out into the living room. Kendra’s back on the couch with her book but she looks up to give Kara a good once over, lingering on her legs. “Maybe this should be my new contact photo for you, hold on.”

“No way, you made your choice,” Kara hollers as she scurries out of view into Sara’s room. She slides on jean shorts and the loosest tank the can find before depositing her towel back into the bathroom and heading to the kitchen to find her phone. There’s _another_ text from Sara, a promise to one day herself make Kara that sweaty that almost hits Kara between the legs but misses its mark. Kara would honestly never like to be that sweaty again in her life, even if it meant hours of tantric sex. Not that Kara really understands what tantric sex is anyways.

There’s also a text from Lena, two in rapid succession:

_Did you go running in this heat?_

_On purpose?_

Kara laughs softly, sends off her own reply:

_I didn’t know it was hot until I was outside._

Lena’s reply dots start up immediately and Kara feels something swell in her chest.

_Lena: You could’ve gone back inside, you know._

_Kara: I really wanted to go for a run, though._

_Lena: Does anyone really_ want _to go for a run? ;)  
_

Kara stills at the winky face emoji, feels her heart do some kind of weird flip flop and she must be making some kind of face because Kendra’s looked up from her book again.

“So what’s the verdict?”

“Huh?”

“Did she like the selfie?”

“She didn’t um, _not_ like it I guess.” Kara’s phone chimes with another message and, as if on cue, Lena’s sent:

_You look pretty cute though._

There’s no winky emoji with this one but there doesn’t really need to be one, Kara feels herself being flirted with through the phone. She can picture Lena’s coy smile and it makes her mouth go a little dry.

“You okay?” Kendra calls from the couch.

Kara shakes her head a little, reassesses herself and finds heat in her cheeks, a blush has snuck its way into existence and Kara suddenly feels guilty again, sets her phone down on the counter. “Just need some more water.”

Her phone stays on the counter while she chugs another full bottle of water but Kara can still feel the blush on her cheeks.

 

—

_Lena: Any restaurant suggestions for lunch meetings? I need to find a new go-to place._

_Kara: Fancy? Or like a cafe?_

_Lena: A fancy cafe?_

_Kara: hipster or nah?_

_Lena: Are there fancy cafes that aren’t hipster?_

_Kara: touché_

_Kara: okay, there’s Laurent’s on 5th or gable & co on Westwood _

_Kara: or the lucky penny on carver and 8th or serpentine on the southside but you probably want somewhere downtown right?_

_Lena: You’re like a one-person Yelp._

_Kara: market square has a bunch of cool places that you could try, I like Maria’s and Grover’s deli and oh the lucky penny has a location there too with really good gelato_

_Kara: oh, uh yeah food is kind of my thing_

_Lena: Which place is your favorite?_

_Kara: the penny probably? but I mean they’re all so good, I just really like gelato_

_Lena: If I wanted to go try it out would you come with me? Saturday for lunch?_

_Kara: yeah! we could go to the market before if you want, you don’t have to buy anything we can just look around, it’s really fun_

_Lena: That sounds great actually. How about we meet at 11?_

_Kara: perfect!_

—

Kara shows up early with nerves in her belly. She locks her bike at the front of the market, checks the lock three times before stepping away from it and clipping her helmet onto her backpack. The morning cold is just starting to burn off but it’s going to be a nice day, nothing but blue skies ahead and a nice lingering breeze, at least as far as Kara’s weather app will have her believe.

The market is bustling, vendors already hours into sale and Kara spots two of her favorite places crowded with people. She doesn’t know how Lena feels about lines but Kara’s already got honey on the brain, maybe she can have Abbie save her a jar to pick up after lunch. She’s scanning for the rest of her market check list when she spots Lena climbing out of a car a street over. It swoops off almost as soon as she closes the door and Kara watches as Lena smoothes out her sweater and shoulders her bag. She looks miles different from the last time Kara saw her: hair back in a french braid with a scoop neck sweater over jeans. She looks almost _cozy_ so when Lena sweeps the crowd and locks eyes with Kara, Kara’s stomach goes rough and tumble fluttery.

She’s still willing it into submission when Lena gets close enough to say hello, smiling from ear to ear. “You’re early too, huh?”

“I thought I might grab some stuff before you got here,” Kara admits. It’s not entirely a lie, she’d thought about doing just that but Sara had kept her late in bed _yet again_ so she’d not gotten to the market early enough to really do anything.

“Shopping without me, huh?” Lena arches an eyebrow and Kara shakes her head.

“Oh um, I didn’t know how much you wanted to walk around and my list is kind of long.”

“Of course it is,” Lena laughs, “but I don’t mind walking. I had a nice breakfast, lunch can wait a little longer.”

“Oh, cool,” Kara smiles and tugs her list out of her pocket. It’s hastily scribbled and Kara’s got it memorized so it’s not really necessary but she likes having a physical list to check off. “If you get hungry we can grab some kettle corn on the way, Doug saves me a bag.”

“Doug?”

They’re already heading into the market, Lena trailing behind Kara as she weaves them past some of the outer vendors and into the more maddening part. Kara’s nodding her head as she turns around, “I’m his favorite customer.”

Lena’s still laughing by the time they make it to Kara’s first stop. Abbie’s got a helper today so the line is moving fast but there’s enough of one that they might be around for a couple minutes. “Best organic honey in the city,” Kara says happily. “K-,” Kara starts then trips over her tongue to correct herself, “Sara loves it with her tea so I usually try to buy a couple jars at a time.”

“You’re a good girlfriend, aren’t you?”

“Oh,” Kara says quietly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she readjusts her glasses, “uh yeah, I guess.”

“I might have to try a jar of this honey myself if Sara likes it so much.” Lena’s already turning to inspect some jars at the outside of the tent, fingers skimming the hand-printed labels. Kara tries not to watch too closely, focuses instead on the scratch of Abbie’s pen ahead of them and the smell of kettle corn in the air. Lena’s picked out a jar of Original Recibee when they make it up to the front and Abbie greets them with a smile as Kara puts in her order.

They sweep out of the booth and down the line to the next, Kara stuffing her honey into her backpack. Kara starts filling the silence between booths with everything she knows about the market. She tells Lena about the seasonal booths, about newly shorn wool and beers and ciders brewed over the winter, fresh cut flowers and newly canned preserves and by the time they find Doug and his kettle corn Kara’s made it through almost her entire list.

Doug gives Lena a bag on the house for simply showing up with Kara which she gets a real kick out of. She’s still giggling as they weave their way towards the end of the market, bag clutched in hand: “You really are his favorite customer, aren’t you?”

“I told you!” Kara grins as they pass by the row of food trucks and round the corner to find a florists booth flush with greenery and full blooms. Kara’s already got flowers in hand when Lena turns the corner behind her. Everything smells amazing and it’s all so vibrant, scores of flowers bundled up and arranged by color, Kara wants to bring the entire booth home with her. “These are gorgeous,” Kara says, picking up a bundle of lilies.

“Do you want them?”

“Huh?” Kara spins around, lilies still in hand, to find Lena right behind her, close enough that the edge of the farthest lily bats up against her chest. Kara looks down briefly but immediately retracts, locking eyes with Lena instead which is almost worse.

“Do you want them?” Lena repeats herself, a hand sneaking up to run along a petal.

“Oh no, no, no that’s no,” Kara mumbles, immediately turning around to replace the flowers.

“No?” Lena laughs.

“No, yeah, I don’t need them.”

“But you want them,” Lena says as she reaches around Kara to pick up the bundle again. Before Kara can further protest Lena’s swooping under the tent to pay for them. Kara wrings her hands while she waits, tries to explain away the fluttering in her stomach as hunger pangs but when Lena returns, flowers wrapped in brown paper, Kara’s heart honest to goodness flutters and nothing about that is hunger-related.

“Thank you,” Kara says softly, hugging the flowers to her chest.

“See, I knew you wanted them.” Lena’s smile grows a little wider and Kara’s cheeks burn.

Kara’s clutching at her flowers hard enough that she’s sure she might’ve just ripped through the paper but it’s fine, she’s fine. Her friend Lena just bought her some nice flowers, beautiful platonic friend flowers that feel heavier in Kara’s hands every time Lena looks at her.

It’s not like she feels indebted to Lena or anything. Kara’s always loved spontaneous gift-giving, revels in the shiny feeling she gets when her loved ones coo over something she’s bought for them but with Lena it’s different. Well, different because Kara’s the one on the receiving end which isn’t something she’s used to and okay she does kind of feel indebted to Lena. They’ve only got a few booths to go before The Lucky Penny comes into view but near to the end Kara spots a booth that gives her an idea.

Lena smells it before Kara has time to mention it: “Those donuts smell incredible.”

“Do you want some?” Kara says quickly, then adds, “I’m gonna buy you some.” Before Lena has time to reply Kara’s shooting ahead of her and into the booth. She sweeps up to the register and asks for a half dozen pack, one of every flavor and is back out to Lena with box in hand within a minute. Lena looks a little confused as Kara strides up to her, arms outstretched. “I got you one of each so you can try them all,” Kara starts then points to the label that lists the flavors. “My favorite is the cinnamon apple but the raspberry chocolate is really good too.”

“Thank you.” Lena takes the proffered box, settling it against her stomach. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Of course I did,” Kara insists, stepping a little further out from the booth to let a woman past her, “now we’re even.” Lena turns with her, a curious look on her face, but Kara ignores it, moves again, urging them out towards the cafe.

Surprisingly, there’s no wait to get seated. They get a little table just outside under an umbrella with a great view of the coast and the park just aside it. Kara nearly downs the entirety of her water the minute it arrives and Lena stares at her like she doesn’t understand it’s _her_ fault Kara’s mouth is so dry. Kara’s flowers sit against the railing on the table and every time Kara looks at them she feels a little twinge in the pit of her stomach. The donuts helped, but not nearly enough.

Lena, perhaps sensing a shift in the mood, starts questioning Kara about the menu: “Should we get an appetizer?”

Kara’s already scanning the list, she’s been to The Lucky Penny enough times that she’s had nearly everything on their list. Not just by herself, of course, but the way Lena starts smiling as Kara lists off her opinion on each dish means she assumes otherwise. They decide on the salmon bruschetta which Kara promises is a masterpiece and their waitress agrees before disappearing to give them more time to pick mains.

Kara has already decided on what she wants, she decided almost as soon as their lunch date was confirmed but Lena’s still wavering between a few choices when their waitress, Juliet, returns. “What do you think? The scallops or the tuna?”

“They’re both fresh,” the waitress assures her quickly, “but the pesto with the scallop dish is made in-house and it’s delicious. It’s my favorite, truth be told.”

“Well if it’s your favorite then I guess I’ll have to try it,” Lena says with a wide smile as she closes her menu and hands it over.

Juliet looks pleased with Lena’s choice _and_ with the wattage of her smile, shoots her a wink as she nods, “a gorgeous choice.”

“A _gorgeous_ choice, you hear that?” Lena seems to have completely missed the wink, is beaming her smile at Kara now and it’s softened a little but it’s still powerful enough that Kara has the urge to sigh.

She nods her head instead, tries not to trip over her tongue as she replies, “I mean it’s not _my_ favorite but it’s good, you’ll definitely like it.”

“You’re loyal to your cheeseburger.”

“It’s got onion rings _on_ it, multiple,” Kara enunciates every syllable and Lena just shakes her head, laughs.

They try not to talk about work while they wait for their food but Kara’s got a shift later and Lena’s apparently spending her entire Sunday working. They gripe a little, Lena visibly holding back and Kara sees her clench her jaw a few times at the mention of a certain lab assistant. Kara gets a little lost as she speaks, catching every other word but the bulk of the conversation is slipping by because Lena’s eyes are dazzling in the midday sun. Her full attention is on Kara, eyes flicking away only to grab her water or to identify an errant sound nearby and Kara feels like she’s glued to the spot. She’s smiling too, a little shy but it brightens as she talks about her work and Kara’s entranced, her heart is beating steadily but she can feel it in the tips of her fingers and in her stomach, can feel it a little lower when Lena’s eyes occasionally flick down to Kara’s mouth. Their appetizer arrives just as Kara starts feeling a blush climb up the back of her neck but the boy who brings it scurries away before Kara can thank him.

Lena’s only a bite in before she’s raving about it, well not so much raving as she is humming with pleasure. Kara wants to feel vindicated about her choice but the noise Lena’s making is familiar in a way that Kara wishes it weren’t and that blush finally tickles at her neck. Kara tries to stifle the feeling with food and it works long enough for Lena to pick up on the thread Kara started before the food arrived.

She tells Kara about her time in Metropolis before, about wanting to get out from under her mother but also how much she misses her brother. Kara’s lived in the same city as Alex for nearly her entire life. That couple of years Alex was away at college were brutal and she was only a three hour drive away; Kara can’t imagine being on the opposite side of the country from her and says as much. Lena assures her that Lex calls her almost every day, at almost the exact same time. Lena surmises out loud that she’s probably slotted into his schedule but she doesn’t mind it. Even if the conversations are a bit repetitive some weeks.

Kara is on the verge of asking about Lena’s lab work when their main courses arrive. She’s salivating before her burger is even set down.

“That’s enormous,” Lena remarks, eyeing the stack.

“I know,” Kara replies excitedly as Lena’s own plate is set down.

Juliet steps back, lingering a little by Lena’s side, “do you need anything else?”

“No, this looks great, thank you.” Lena’s already got her fork in hand, eyeing down her meal as Kara decides how best to approach her burger.

“If you need anything at all, just let me know, I’ll be more than happy to get you whatever you need.” There’s something a little off in Juliet’s tone, enough so that Kara looks up to find her speaking exclusively to Lena. She’s got a hand on the back of Lena’s chair, might actually be _touching_ Lena’s shoulder but Lena doesn’t seem to mind, or maybe doesn’t notice.

“Thank you,” Kara says, voice suddenly too big for her mouth.

Juliet’s attention snaps back to Kara for a second, almost like she’d forgotten Kara was even there. Lena looks up too, first to Kara then to Juliet with a small smile, “thank you.”

Lena’s reply is enough to get the woman to nod and disappear back into the restaurant but Kara finds herself watching Juliet until she completely disappears from sight. The pit of her stomach feels a little cold as she turns back to her burger, still resplendent in its height. Her appetite rears again, bucking the cold and yelling loudly to be appeased so Kara pushes up her metaphorical sleeves and digs in.

The next fifteen minutes are silent save compliments on the food from both sides and then Lena’s profound gratitude for picking out the restaurant. She even jokes about planning lunch meetings just so she can test out the rest of the menu and Kara feels herself glowing with pride. It isn’t _her_ restaurant but she’ll happily to take credit for Lena’s newest food obsession, it’s all in a day’s work really. Kara’s almost too obsessed with her burger to notice Lena watching her as they talk. Every time she looks up between bites Lena’s eyes are on her, liquid blue-green and almost haunting and Kara tries to pretend the heat at her neck is from her spicy mayo.

Both their plates are as clean as they can possibly be by the time Juliet reappears. She’s smiling again, ear to ear, with attention solely on Lena as she asks how her food was, hoping she didn’t steer Lena wrong.

“It was fantastic,” Lena answers, setting her silverware atop the plate.

“That’s great, I’d have felt awful if I’d let you down.” The tone is back, Kara wants to call it playful but it’s not playful in a platonic waitstaff-asking-about-your-food sort of way, it’s _flirtatious_.

Kara’s gut goes cold again and she can feel herself clenching her jaw as Lena assures Juliet that her pick was well appreciated and that both she _and_ Kara enjoyed their meals. “Didn’t we, Kara?”

“Hmm, what, yeah,” Kara says quickly, “mine was delicious.” It takes her a moment to realize Lena’s looking at her, Kara’s attention solely fixed on Juliet who has yet to actually look in Kara’s direction.

“Good,” Juliet says curtly, sparing the smallest glance in Kara’s direction before turning back to Lena. “How do you want the bill? Should I split the salmon?”

“That’s fine,” Kara says at the same time Lena replies with:

“Oh no, one bill, I’ve got it.”

“Oh, Lena, no that’s,” Kara tries to insist but Lena’s already got her wallet out and is handing a card to Juliet.

“I asked you out, I’ll pay,” Lena says simply.

Juliet pauses before taking Lena’s card, like maybe she’s giving Kara another chance to debate but Kara keeps quiet and Juliet plucks the card from Lena’s hand before nodding and disappearing again. Kara settles back into her chair and spots her flowers again, highlighted in the midday sun peeking in past their umbrella. Maybe she should’ve insisted again that they go dutch, or maybe Kara should’ve insisted on paying for the meal herself because this is feeling an awful lot more like a _date_ than Kara thinks it should.

Lena takes great care in hiding the bill from Kara when it arrives. Kara knows about how much it is though, it’s nothing extravagant so Kara can’t imagine why but then she catches sight of the customer copy, sees a scribbled phone number at the top and Kara’s jaw clenches again.

When they both stand, Kara holds her flowers tight to her chest as she hurries along after Lena, her backpack noisily rustling behind her as she shuffles between tables and out onto the open sidewalk.

“Do you have plans next week?” Lena’s slowed a little to let Kara catch up, her box of donuts cradled against her stomach in both hands.

“Band practice and work and I have to practice this new piece for the orchestra but I think that’s it.” Kara readjusts the strap on her shoulder then her glasses, nudging them up her nose. “You? I mean, besides your lab work.”

“I think it’s all lab work, unfortunately,” Lena says solemnly. “Does your band practice often?”

“Oh, um, once a week if we can manage.”

“Is it weird, dating someone in the band?”

“It’s nice,” Kara says quietly, voice soft. Because it is, even if Sara is a menace on stage and still very bad at actually showing up to practice it’s nice to have her there. “I mean, she’s kind of annoying,” Kara laughs, “but it’s nice.”

Lena’s turned towards Kara a little and her shoulder keeps brushing against Kara’s with every second step. Kara feels heat there and more in her cheeks as Lena asks, “You live with her, right?”

“Basically. I mean, I’ve still got my old place right now until my lease runs out but Kendra’s already helped me move stuff in.”

“And Kendra is—?”

 _Shit_. “Kendra lives with Sara.”

“Sara’s roommate?”

Kara wants to dance around the question or maybe just answer it affirmatively and leave it at that but Lena’s looking at her with these soft, inquisitive eyes and Kara can feel her heart thumping in her chest. Maybe if Lena knows it’ll feel less like a date or at least help Kara feel less guilty.

“Girlfriend.” Lena doesn’t stop in her tracks but she does skip a step, inadvertently putting a little distance between her and Kara. Kara turns, sees a small wave of confusion flit across Lena’s face. “And mine,” Kara clarifies.

Lena slows down even more, like trying to walk and understand what Kara’s saying is troublesome. “Oh, so,” Lena pauses, brows furrowed, “you’ve got two girlfriends.”

“Yeah,” Kara affirms. They’re barely moving above a crawl in the center of the sidewalk and Kara hears the huff of a woman pushing a stroller behind them. Lena’s attention is solely on Kara as the woman weaves around them and she looks surprised but not disgusted which Kara is thankful for.

“So you’re polyamorous,” Lena says astutely like suddenly everything’s snapped into place for her.

“Newly, but yeah.”

“How do you like it?” The surprise has been replaced by what Kara guesses is curiosity, the light in her eyes brighter than just seconds before.

“How do I—I mean it’s great, I’m still learning but it’s great,” Kara brings a hand up to rub at the back of her neck and a smile slips onto Lena’s face. Kara can feel a blush creeping up her neck, hopes it’s embarrassment but the wider Lena’s smile gets the hotter her blush does. Kara’s happy to see her bike when it comes into view, gestures awkwardly to it as they approach: “This is me.”

“I like your bike,” Lena says as Kara unlocks it and pulls it free.

“I can wait until your car is here,” Kara offers as she wheels her bike alongside herself, setting her flowers into the basket on the back.

“No, that’s alright, I have an errand to run close by.” Kara feels like maybe it’s a lie but she doesn’t want to press. “This was fun, we’ll have to do it again.”

“Oh yeah, definitely.” Kara goes in for a hug without thinking but Lena doesn’t hesitate. They’re already wrapped up in each other when Kara realizes how close they are. Her bike is leaning against her hip and she can feel the Lena’s box of donuts pressing into her back but Lena smells like spring and her sweater is soft beneath Kara’s hands. They both linger—it’s just a second but it’s enough that Kara suddenly feels guilty and she tries not to scramble away when they finally do release. She smiles kindly, dips her head to hide the blush still warm at her neck. “Good luck with your errand.”

“Thank you.” Lena chuckles, nodding her head. “Have a safe trip back home.”

Kara stops to put on her helmet as Lena turns away, the both of them giving each other one last small wave before they part. Kara’s stomach is a tangle of knots as she swings a leg over her bike, this day was far more trying than she’d hoped for.

—

Neither of the girls are home when Kara gets back. Kendra’s at work and Sara’s, well Sara’s probably out for a ride because the weather’s nice so the apartment is empty and Kara’s almost glad for it. The flowers go in a vase on the island, their brown paper shucked in the garbage. Kara still thinks they’re beautiful but the sight of them has her stomach churning again, her body still vacillating between nauseous guilt and anxious fluttering. Kara almost wishes their lunch wasn’t nice, that Lena had said something untoward or flirted with the waitress or hell, even if she’d said she hated donuts. Kara would _love_ if Lena hated donuts because then there would be something wrong with her, something to make Kara sure that their friendship could remain exactly that.

But instead she’d bought Kara flowers and then lunch.

“Those are gorgeous.”

The girls have somehow made it inside without Kara even hearing the door unlock. Sara’s got her motorcycle helmet against her hip but so does Kendra which means Sara must’ve picked her up from work. “Did you get them at the market?” Kendra asks, running her hands through her hair a couple times to shake out some remnant helmet head.

“Yeah,” Kara says smiling softly then remembers the honey and starts scrambling around in her bag, “and I got your honey.”

Kendra hums with delight as Kara pulls out jar after jar, four in total, then scurries over to Kara’s side to wrap her up in a hug and kiss the side of her head. “You’re the best.”

“Anything in there for me?” Sara’s still by the door, toeing off her boots.

“Kettle corn, fresh bread, almond  butter, that weird jalapeño strawberry jam and,” Kara pulls out the items one by one then digs into the bottom of her bag, grabbing blindly for the last one, “salt water taffy.”

“You sure that’s for me?” Sara asks as she pads over to the island to snatch up the bread and pop open the bag it’s in.

“Okay mostly for me but you can try it and please,” Kara stops, swatting the bread straight out of Sara’s hand as she’s poised to rip off a chunk, “use a bread knife.”

Sara rolls her eyes but turns to grab the bread knife before returning to loaf and cutting a slice. Kendra cuts a slice too and one for Kara and while they move to butter, Sara pops open her jam and starts spreading. “Soooo,” Sara starts, butter knife jam deep in hand, “how was lunch?”

“Good, great,” Kara’s focus narrows to the butter, carefully cutting off a pat to spread on her bread, “the food was great.”

“Cheeseburger?” Kendra asks between bites.

“It’s just so good,” Kara sighs as she takes her first bite.

Kendra’s laughing as she asks her next question but it still makes Kara’s gut churn: “And how was Lena?”

“Cool, great, yeah,” Kara says quickly, stuffing more bread in her mouth.

“Did she like the market?” Kara can tell Kendra’s trying to slowly pry more out of her, that her answers aren’t giving them nearly enough information about the lunch as they were expecting. She’s being careful though, which is considerate, but it’s also making Kara feel more guilty, like Kendra already knows something but is too afraid to ask.

“She loved it, she got some honey and bread and I got her some donuts too.”

“You got her donuts?” Sara finally pipes up. Her bread is already gone and she’s in the midst of cutting a second slice as she adds, “that was awfully nice of you.”

“Well, she got me the flowers so.”

“Oh, _Lena_ got you those flowers huh?” Kendra’s eyebrow is only slightly arched which means she isn’t as surprised as Kara thought she would be. She has to know then, so maybe saying it out loud will make Kara feel better or will at least get Kendra to stop prodding at her.

“Yeah, I think,” Kara starts, swallowing her mouthful of bread, “I think she thought it was like a _date_ date.”

Sara stops mid jam spread, looks up at Kara with narrowed eyes, “oh yeah?”

“She paid for lunch too,” Kara adds, “and she didn’t, well this won’t make sense unless you were there, but she didn’t flirt with the waitress.”

“Was the waitress cute?” Sara asks.

“Definitely,” Kara continues, “and she was flirting with Lena a lot but Lena didn’t, well she wasn’t like paying attention to her at all. She kept _looking_ at me and—”

“And what?” Kendra raises an eyebrow a little higher.

“Smiling.”

“ _Smiling_?” Sara repeats.

“It wasn’t just smiling it was— I don’t know how to explain it, when she looks at you it’s kind of like a tractor beam.”

“Like she wanted to abduct you?” Sara laughs.

“No, no,” Kara waves her hand and her bread, “like, when she looks at you it feels like you can’t move.” The hand holding her bread has started to shake a little so she lowers it to the counter. Saying the feeling out loud makes it seem more intense, makes it seem more real and Kara feels nauseous again, sets down her bread.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Kendra asks.

Kara feels guilt wash over, feels something prickling at her eyes, “no, I mean I do but I didn’t think it was a date. She’s just—”

Sara’s already got a hand across the island, sets it on Kara’s forearm, squeezes gently. “Hey, it’s okay, you’re allowed to like her.”

“I am?”

“Of course you are, honey,” Kendra adds in, sidling up to Kara’s side and slinging an arm around her lower back, hand hooking at Kara’s hip.

“But what about—”

“Us?” Sara finishes for her. “You thinking about chucking us to the side?”

“No, no,” Kara objects, a hand reaching out to cover Sara’s on her arm like the action will confirm she wants to keep them close. “Of course not.”

“Hey, no, I was joking,” Sara says quickly, leaning up on her tiptoes to wipe at Kara’s cheek as a tear slides down it. “Kendra and I already talked about it.”

“Talked about what?”

“About you and Lena,” Kendra answers.

“What about me and Lena?”

“Kendra had a feeling something like this might happen.” Kara turns to look at Kendra as Sara says her name and Kendra nods her head, squeezes Kara’s hip again.

“So I thought we should talk about some ‘what if’ scenarios, you know, just in case.”

Kara feels like she’s missing something very important about this conversation. The girls are both dancing around a little too much for her liking, she’s a step behind them at least. “Just in case what?”

“Just in case you decided you wanted to date Lena.”

“In case I wanted to—,” Kara feels her heart thump in her chest, a heavy sort of clunk like it’s been knocked against her rib cage. “I didn’t think—”

“You were allowed to?” Sara finishes for her. “You do know you’re in a _polyamorous_ relationship right? You have two girlfriends.”

“But I thought two was like, the limit?”

“It’s a limit for some people, a starting place for others,” Kendra says.

“And you both don’t mind?”

“As long as Lena doesn’t mind that you already have us,” Sara counters. “Does she even know you have us?”

“Oh, I um, I told her today.”

“How’d she take it?”

“Well, I think—she didn’t like push me away in disgust or anything.” Kara can already feel her body start to relax, she breathes out, lets herself lean a little into Kendra’s side. “And she hugged me afterwards so I think she’s fine with it.”

“Oh she hugged you, huh?” Sara leans forward on the island, mouth full of the last of her bread.

“Yeah it was nice.”

“Did she smell good?” Kendra asks.

“Super good,” Kara hums before she can think better of it and she can feel the shake of Kendra chuckling against her side.

“You’re so doomed,” Sara laughs, nails scratching against Kara’s forearm.

“Probably, yeah,” Kara admits softly as Kendra kisses the side of her head.


	3. did you hear the news? we've got scones!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara confronts her feelings... and Lena. Both of her girlfriends are helpful in different ways.

“Hey, Kara there’s some woman out here asking for you.” Pablo’s head is halfway through the kitchen door then gone before Kara can ask anything further.

She’s elbow deep in sudsy water, trying and failing to scrub away the lingering molasses mess from a morning baking disaster. Everything should probably soak longer anyways so Kara shoves everything to the bottom of the sink and grabs a towel to wipe at her wet forearms. She’s got her head down when she pushes through the door, focusing on drying between her fingers when she hears a familiar voice and stops in her tracks.

“You weren’t busy, were you?”

Lena’s dressed to the nines. Well, she isn’t wearing a suit or anything but her hair’s tucked up nicely and she’s got a gorgeous white blouse on over a pencil skirt and Kara finds herself staring before she even manages a hello. Her towel has somehow fallen to the floor and Kara picks it up along with her jaw as she slides up to the baked goods counter where Lena’s waiting for her. “Hey, no, just washing up. What’s up? What are you doing here?”

“Well you keep sending me pictures of the food and I was a bit peckish after my meeting so I decided to swing by.”

“For a snack?”

“And to see you, of course,” Lena’s smile is charming enough to shake a few butterflies awake in Kara’s stomach.

“Hey, Kara.” Kendra’s out the kitchen door and at Kara’s side before Kara can answer but her attention immediately swings to Lena. “Oh, hi.”

Kara feels frozen to the spot, the towel in her hands wrung tight. She can already feel a blush at her neck and maybe Kendra can see it too because she slides a hand to the small of Kara’s back, fingers slipping up under Kara’s shirt to scratch gently at the skin there. Kara tenses a little at the first touch but the movement settles into her nerves, loosening her up enough to say, “Kendra, this is Lena.”

“Oh, hello.” Lena looks a little startled but she’s wearing it well, her smile even gets a little wider as she takes Kendra in.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Kara’s been telling us great things.”

“Of course she has,” Lena answers, attention flicking back to Kara.

“Kara you can take your break now if you want.” Kendra’s fingers flex against the small of Kara’s back and Kara snaps back to reality.

“But I just—,” Kara starts but Kendra hip checks her a little, stops her mid-sentence.

“The dishes can wait, you had that _thing_ you wanted to tell Lena, remember?”

Lena’s eyes light up a little, brow raising in curiosity, “something good I hope?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kara stutters, then mumbles softly, “I hope so too.” She hadn’t exactly decided on how to tell Lena yet. Kendra suggested a face to face meeting, said it’s nice to look someone in the eye when you tell them you like them but the initial idea had honestly just made Kara a little nauseous. Sara had jokingly suggested “accidentally” sexting Lena before Kendra elbowed her into agreement on a face to face. Kara had eventually agreed on it too but she didn’t think it would happen so _soon_.

Kendra scratches at Kara’s back again, suggests: “Why don’t you get Lena something to eat and I’ll make her a coffee. What’ll you have, Lena?”

“Oh, a latte would be fine.”

“Got it.” Kendra nods her head and gives Kara another quick hip check before turning around to get going.

Kara’s still rooted in place but Lena’s smile is still charming so she loosens a little when Lena says her name. “So Kara, what would you suggest?”

It takes her a second to reply but she stoops over to open the back of the display, grabbing a pair of tongs and pointing to the front of the cabinet. “The chocolate scones just got out of the oven a half hour ago or maybe a sugar cookie?” Kara made the cookies herself and she knows some of them are a day old but they’re still good so when Lena decides on a scone, Kara swipes a cookie for herself.

“We can sit over there,” Kara waves to a little table near the back of the cafe. It’s mid-afternoon on a Tuesday so they aren’t necessarily busy but there are enough people around that Kara feels a little nervous about people possibly overhearing their conversation.

Lena heads towards the register to pay but Kara waves her off, beckoning her to the table as she rounds the counter. It’s not until they’re standing next to each other that Kara realizes Lena is the same height as her. Her heels have lifted her up high enough that Kara can easily look right into her eyes and they’re still startlingly bright and suddenly Kara can feel her heartbeat in her throat. But it’s fine, she’s totally fine.

They sit on opposite sides of the table, Kara facing the back kitchen and Lena facing out towards the windows. “I know I’m a PhD student, but I’m not poor.”

Kara can only tell Lena’s joking by the way her eyes crinkle with her smile. “You paid for lunch, I can pay for a scone and a latte.”

“Nobody’s paying for anything, actually,” Kendra announces as she arrives with Lena’s latte in one hand and a cup of something steaming for Kara in the other. It’s chamomile with honey, the smell of it instantly settling into Kara’s muscles as she breathes it in. Kendra sets a hand on Kara’s shoulder as she straightens back up, gives it a little squeeze before saying, “if you need anything, I’ll be in the back.”

Then her hand is gone and Kara immediately moves to cradle her tea, holding it between two hands and breathing in the scent of it again as she watches Lena marvel at the work Kendra’s done to her latte. A perfectly poured fern leaf sits proudly in the foam and Lena’s got her phone in hand, poised over her cup to take a picture. “This is gorgeous.”

“Wait until you taste it,” Kara answers, smiling despite the nerves in her stomach.

Lena cradles the cup in both hands before carefully bringing it up to her lips. She makes that noise again, that delighted little hum that’s just the right register to set Kara tingling in certain places. Her sip is long and slow and when Lena sets the cup back down her eyes are closed and she’s smiling, shaking her head. “I think this might be the best latte I’ve ever had.”

Kara laughs, nods, “told you.”

“Does she do this at home?”

Kara nods again, “when she’s up for it. We don’t have that fancy machine but we have like six different French presses.”

“If I had coffee like this every morning I’d be a changed woman.” Lena brings the cup up for another sip, hums again.

Kara chuckles, lifts her own up to take a sip of her tea. It’s still a little too hot to drink but Kara takes a sip anyway, she’ll risk the burnt taste buds for the warmth in her stomach. The butterflies there are still fluttering away but the tea soothes them a little, at least enough that when Lena asks her next question Kara doesn’t choke on her tea.

“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Oh, it um, it can wait a little bit. How was your meeting?” She promises herself she’s only going to stall long enough to build up her courage a little, there’s no harm in that.

“Easy enough, I met with my Luthorcorp handlers to update them on the research I’m doing. They want to make sure the money they gave the university isn’t being squandered.”

“Did you go to the Penny again?” Kara asks with a smile.

“If only,” Lena huffs, “we were in a conference room in the tower. No food but the view from the 36th floor is always spectacular.”

“The 36th floor? That’s almost the top of the skyline.” Kara finds herself suddenly excited at the prospect of viewing the city from overhead. She’s never even been in the lobby of the Luthorcorp Tower let alone to the 36th floor, she can’t imagine how beautiful the view must be.

“ _Almost_ is the key word,” Lena answers, “Lex is still fuming that the Millennium Tower is five floors higher.”

“It must still be beautiful,” Kara remarks, taking another sip of her tea.

“I could take you up sometime, if you’d like,” Lena offers, “I’m technically allowed free reign of the place but I never visit unless I have a meeting or if Lex is in town.”

“Really?” Kara beams.

“Of course, it’s a view that’s meant to be shared.” Lena’s smiling into her cup as she takes another long sip. When she sets it down she tears off a piece of scone and pops it into her mouth and the hum is back, low and a little breathy. “This is just delicious, I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve been here.”

“We make something different every day. Today is the chocolate scones, yesterday was cinnamon rolls, I think tomorrow is matcha cupcakes.”

“Please don’t tell me Kendra bakes too,” Lena says around another mouthful of scone.

“Sometimes yeah, she did the scones and I did the cookies yesterday. We have a proper baker who comes in sometimes though for fancier stuff but a lot of the recipes were created by the owner, Marsha, and she just has us use her recipes.”

“If this place were closer to campus I’d be in such trouble.” Lena’s somehow managed to scarf down half her scone in the last minute and Kara finds herself laughing. Laughs a little harder when Lena looks up with surprise at the sound.

“So,” Lena starts, picking up her latte again to take a sip, “what was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Oh, I—um, I just wanted,” Kara finds her mouth has suddenly gone dry. The nervous energy the tea had dissipated has jumped right back into action, jittery and warm in Kara’s stomach. “I was talking to the girls and they said, well I told them about our lunch and they said some stuff that I didn’t know, or at least didn’t realize was something so I thought—”

“Kara,” Lena’s hand is on Kara’s forearm, warm from her coffee cup, fingers rapping against the soft skin of Kara’s wrist, “slow down.”

Kara looks down at Lena’s hand and closes her eyes, breathes out long and slow like Kendra’s told her to do when she’s nervous. When she opens her eyes again Lena’s watching her carefully, curiosity stitched in her brow but something like worry in the creases of it.

“I like you,” Kara says finally, “as more than a friend.” Lena’s hand stills against Kara’s forearm but it doesn’t retreat which gives Kara just enough hope to keep going. “And I know this is weird because of Kendra and Sara, it’s still weird for me too but in a good way if that makes sense? But if you don’t—if this is weird in a bad way we can just be friends, that’s totally fine, I just wanted to tell you in case, well in case you—”

“Kara,” Lena’s hand is squeezing at Kara’s forearm now, gently but enough to grab her attention, “slow down.”

“Oh,” Kara stutters, “sorry. I was just, I was on a roll and I didn’t—”

“It’s okay, I understand,” Lena says with a smile. Her thumb is rubbing over the tendons in Kara’s forearm now and Kara can feel goosebumps forming on her skin. “And I like you too.”

Kara feels her heart do a little flip, “you do?”

“Yeah,” Lena says softly, “and I don’t know if everything is good weird yet but it’s not _bad_ weird so that’s something.”

“Does that mean we can go on a date?”

“Are you _asking_ me on a date, Kara?”

“Oh, u-um,” Kara stutters again, hands gripping her cup a little tighter, “I guess, I mean, yeah, I am.”

“Then yes, we can go on a date.” The smile Lena gives her feels like the sun after a storm but then she’s making to stand, hand slipping from Kara’s arm. “But I’ve got to get back to the lab now so you’ll have to text me about this date.”

“Of course, yeah,” Kara all but scrambles to her feet and finds herself squarely in Lena’s personal space.

But Lena doesn’t seem to mind, in fact she embraces their close proximity by leaning in close and pressing her lips to Kara’s cheek. Kara thinks maybe her knees are made of jello, or maybe the floor is made of jello because she finds herself swaying a little. Lena’s smiling when she pulls back, “thank Kendra for the coffee.”

“Sure, yeah,” Kara mumbles.

“Goodbye, Kara,” Lena gives her a little wave before gathering up the last of her scone to stash in her purse as she heads for the front door.

“Bye,” Kara mumbles again, eyes tracing Lena’s outline as she disappears out the door and down the sidewalk.

Kara’s still trying to decide if the earth is moving when she feels something at her side. Kendra’s smile is bright enough to light up the entire room and Kara wants to feel embarrassed because that smile means Kendra definitely saw the kiss but all Kara can think about is that she’s going to go on a date with Lena Luthor.

 

—

 

_Kara: we just made those matcha cupcakes and they smell so good_

_Lena: Stop torturing me._

_Kara: sorryyyy_

_Lena: How do they taste?_

_Kara: you’ll get mad if I tell you_

_Lena: They’re that good?_

_Kara: ...maybe_

_Kara: how’s the lab today?_

_Lena: Crowded, we have some suits in for a hands-on demonstration._

Kara can hear Sara’s voice in the back of her head, suggesting Kara make some lewd comment about being “hands-on” with Lena. Which, well it’s not a horrible idea, but Kara thinks it’s probably too early considering she hasn’t actually asked Lena out on that date yet. But just _imagining_ being hands-on with Lena sparks something between her legs, strong enough that she squirms a little. And a little is all it takes to get Kendra’s attention.

“You talking to Lena?” She’s been home all day, propped up on the couch with a sore back she blames on lifting sacks of flour. Kara’s only been home ten minutes but she’s already in her sweats, tucked up onto the end of the couch with Kendra’s feet in her lap.

“Yeah, she’s still at the lab.”

“Do you think she sleeps there?” Kendra’s obviously joking but it actually isn’t hard to imagine Lena sleeping in the lab with how often she’s there.

“I hope not,” Kara answers after a few moments, thumbs poised over the keyboard on her phone.

_Kara: late night tonight?_

_Lena: If these men don’t leave soon, possibly. Jack’s out this week so I’m down a set of hands._

She can hear Sara’s voice again, practically _begging_ Kara to say something but it definitely isn’t the right time. Besides, it’s been years since Kara initiated that kind of conversation herself, she can’t even think of where to start.

“You have Sunday off, you could go out then,” Kendra offers from above the lip of her mug.

“Lena’s working through the weekend. She has some kind of deadline next Wednesday, I think.” At least that’s what Lena told her when they’d started trying to find coinciding free time. With Lena’s approaching deadline it would be at least a week until they could get together—not that Kara had actually committed to a day yet—and the waiting is really only serving to make Kara more anxious.

_Kara: I’d offer to help if I thought I could be useful but I don’t think I’d understand anything you were doing_

_Lena: It’s the thought that counts. :)_

There’s a whoosh at the door and Sara piles in with her backpack and helmet in tow. “How’s the patient doing?”

“Still dying,” Kendra croaks.

“Her drugs haven’t kicked in yet,” Kara follows up, squeezing at Kendra’s ankle with a free hand.

“You should take more,” Sara offers, slipping off her jacket and toeing off her boots as she makes her way to the couch. She makes Kara scoot over, closer to Kendra and further under her legs until Kara’s at Kendra’s knees and Sara’s got her feet.

“Helpful,” Kendra huffs as she rearranges a little to accommodate the shift in position.

“So, how’s Lena?” Sara’s looking down at Kara’s phone, screen still unlocked sitting face up on Kendra’s legs.

“She’s good, busy,” Kara offers, hands sliding back to her phone instinctively.

“She’s also flirting with you,” Sara adds almost as an afterthought as she starts to massage one of Kendra’s feet, thumbs kneading carefully.

“What?” Kara lifts her phone back up and sure enough:

_           I’m sure I could find a good use for your hands though. _

Kara’s breath comes out in a shutter and her ears are already hot, getting hotter with the way she can feel both Sara and Kendra smiling at her.

“You gonna text her back?” Kendra asks, propping herself up on her elbows a little so she can get a look at Kara’s phone.

“I don’t—,” Kara’s brain feels useless, like it’s slogging through mud, “what do I say?” Sara’s already reaching for her phone, typing up something that has the word  _ wet _ in it and Kara immediately snatches it back, deleting the entire message then smacking Sara on the arm. “You’re the worst.”

“Hey, that line works every time,” Sara huffs, rubbing at her bicep.

“I don’t want that line to work on Lena,” Kara says, “especially if you’re the one sending it.”

“Sorry I think your girlfriend is hot,” Sara rolls her eyes, gets back to rubbing Kendra’s other foot.

“She’s not my  _ girlfriend _ .” Kara cradles her phone in two hands, looking down at the screen to re-read the message again.

“Here,” Kendra’s got a hand outstretched, asking for Kara’s phone. Kendra is definitely the safer bet, she’s intuitive and gentler and not one to sext out of the blue so Kara hands over the phone without a second thought. Kendra types something out then hands the phone back for Kara to read and approve.

“You don’t think it’s too much?” Kara’s finger is already hovering over the send button.

“It’s an invitation more than anything, I think you’ll be fine.”

_           Kara: you really like my hands, don’t you? _

_           Lena: I think they have plenty of unexplored potential. _

“Nerd flirting is wild,” Sara says from over Kara’s shoulder. She’s still kneading at Kendra’s foot but she’s leaning over just far enough to read Kara’s screen. Kara’s quick to tuck the phone against her chest then smack at Sara’s arm again. “Ow,” Sara groans, “fine, jeez, I won’t look.”

“You will too,” Kendra counters, lifting up her legs and pivoting so Kara can free herself. “I’ll keep her busy, you can take my room.”

“I don’t need a  _ room _ ,” Kara huffs but she stands anyways.

“Sure you don’t,” Sara’s smiling up at her with the cheekiest grin and Kara makes sure to glower at her as she makes her way to Kendra’s room for a little privacy. It’s still unmade from this morning, sheets in disarray, one pillow on the floor, two sets of clothes at the foot. Kara replaces the pillow, chucks some things into the laundry then climbs up to the headboard to find Lena’s already texted again and it’s enough to make Kara blush:

_           Lena: I’ve never dated a pianist before, I’m curious to see just how dextrous your hands are. _

_           Kara: I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. _

It’s a brazen answer, certainly stronger than Kara had thought she’d be able to pull off but Lena’s not holding back either—which, now that Kara thinks about their first meeting, isn’t exactly surprising.

_           Lena: I don’t do well with surprises but I’m more than willing to make an exception for you. _

_           Kara: but would it still be a surprise if I’ve already told you you’ll like it? _

_           Lena: Touché _

“How’s it going in there?” Sara’s voice sounds closer than Kara would like it to be and sure enough her head pops into the doorway a few seconds after her inquiry.

“Fine,” Kara answers, proactively pressing her phone to her chest again lest Sara pounce.

“You need any help?”

“Leave her alone and get my icepack,” Kendra calls out. Sara rolls her eyes then disappears without a second word, leaving Kara giggling to herself as another text from Lena pops in.

_           Lena: Looks like I’ve got a long night ahead of me, we’ll have to pick this up later. _

_           Kara: don’t forget to eat dinner _

_           Lena: You know I am hungry, but not for food. _

Kara feels a little shudder rattle down her spine, feels it settle warm between her legs.

_           Kara: that’s not something I can help you with _

_           Lena: Not now, but eventually you will. ;) _

Kara’s never seen Lena’s lab but she gets a flash of Lena in a lab coat, of Lena pressing her up against a bench and she feels a tug between her legs.

“How about now?” Sara’s back, by-passing the doorway chat entirely to perch on the end of the bed.

“She had work to do,” Kara answers, phone pressed to her chest.

“Did you tell her you’d like to do some work on her?”

“ _ No _ ,” Kara huffs but Sara’s already climbing up the bed towards her, a hand sliding up the length of Kara’s leg as she moves to settle against the headboard.

“So how’d it go?”

“Fine,” Kara says quietly but Sara knows better, she’s got a hand on Kara’s thigh, fingers pressing against the inside seam of her sweats.

“Just fine?” Her mouth is already against Kara’s shoulder and Kara can’t believe Sara’s read her so quickly but then again,  _ it’s Sara. _

“Maybe more than fine,” Kara offers, setting her phone aside and shifting just enough that Sara’s lips hit the front of her shoulder then the edge of her collarbone.

Her breath is hot against Kara’s neck and Kara sighs as she feels Sara’s tongue dart out to graze skin. Sara’s advantageous to say the least but Kara honestly couldn’t care less as Sara’s mouth finally hits her neck. The tug between her legs thumps again as Sara reaches her earlobe, sucking it gently. The hand at her thigh has already snuck up beneath her tank top and is skating along her ribs, slow and easy as Sara bites at Kara’s lobe. “Way more than fine,” Sara whispers as Kara keens, arching a little into her hand as it moves up to cup her breast.

Kara reply is shadowed under a moan, “You really are the worst.”

“You know it,” Sara laughs before sweeping in to kiss her.


	4. we're here, we're queer... hey who stole my beer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena takes Kara by surprise. Her girlfriends behave themselves... mostly.

“Hold still or you’re gonna get a cat eye across your forehead,” Kendra tuts, hand sliding down to cup Kara’s chin.

“Kevin’s doing my cables and he always does them wrong, I need to make sure he doesn’t fuck up.” Kara’s really trying not to squirm but they’ve only got fifteen minutes until the show starts and if she can’t do at least a minute or two of soundcheck she’s going to spend the entire show fending off feedback and imagining ways to maim Kevin.

“Still,” Kendra says again, gripping at Kara’s chin hard enough to still her but the command also sends a little ripple of heat between Kara’s legs. Her hips tilt down towards the seat of her chair in response and Kendra’s eyes flick down with the movement. When they move back up to Kara’s face, it’s with this appraising kind of look that makes Kara’s want to squirm a little more.

“Hey Kara, I think your nerd babe is at the bar.” Sara swoops into the room with two beers in hand, passing one off to Kendra when she’s close enough.

“My nerd—Lena?” Kara’s up and out of the chair before Kendra can reprimand her again. She hears Sara say something else but ignores it in favor and practically falling out of the doorway and racing out to the bar. The crowd in front of the stage is still sparse, most people fending for drinks at the bar or shoved into booths along the outside edge. This isn’t the worst venue they’ve ever played but it’s small and dirty enough that seeing Lena tucked into the crowd at the far end of the bar almost gives Kara a heart attack. She shoves her way through the crowd with abandon, shimmying between plaid-clad queers and muscle-bound motorcycle regulars confused as to why Rihanna is pumping through the overhead speakers. Kara tries to slow down as she gets closer to Lena, to affect some kind of cool demeanor but she skids on the wet floor and nearly slams straight into her, hands gripping tightly to the sticky bar to keep herself upright.

“Lena!” Kara’s voice feels too loud for the distance between them but it still feels like Lena’s only turned around to see her because Kara’s basically on top of her.

“You found me,” Lena says with a laugh as she passes a few bills to the bartender and takes the drink he’s slid to the bar for her.

“What are you doing here?” Kara knows she told Lena there _was_ a show tonight but she didn’t tell her anything else about it, had figured it wouldn’t be her scene but apparently she was wrong.

“I thought it would be fun,” Lena smiles at her before mixing her drink a little and taking a sip. She makes a bit of a face and Kara can actually _smell_ the alcohol content of the drink, the bartender really must’ve liked her. She shakes the alcohol shivers off as she looks up to Kara with a sly sort of smile, “and I wanted to see you.”

Kara smiles back, feels the tickle of a blush in her cheeks, “well I’m glad you’re here.”

“I was going to try to surprise you,” Lena admits, taking a step away from the bar as someone comes up from behind her. Kara moves too and they get swept up in the crowd a little, the both of them getting bustled further into the bar and Kara reaches out instinctively for Lena’s hand, to keep her close. The hand she finds is a little wet from her drink but it’s soft, strong and Kara grips it a little tighter, pulling Lena closer to the stage. “How did you find me?” Lena asks once they stop.

“Sara spotted you,” Kara answers, “so I went looking.” She’s still got a hold of Lena’s hand but her grip has loosened, fingers only barely tangled together between them. Kara glances down at them and the attention doesn’t go unnoticed. Lena follows her gaze then pulls her hand away but only enough to free her fingers as she starts sliding the tips up the length of Kara’s, slow and steady. Kara stills but her insides are fluttering, nerves sparking warm up the length of her arm.

“Well, I’m glad you found me. I can wish you good luck now.” Then Lena’s moving forward again, closing the space between them to kiss Kara just to the left of her mouth. The nerves in Kara’s arm burst overflowing to the rest of her body, tingling every which way as Lena pulls back, smiling.

“T-thanks,” Kara stutters, trying to mirror Lena’s smile but the one she feels slide into place seems almost too big for her face. Lena’s still skating her fingertips across Kara’s hand, a little higher to her palm and the tendons of her wrist and Kara thinks if she doesn’t get away from Lena right now she’ll be a jittery mess for the show, or at least _more_ of one. “I’ll um, Kendra’s here so you can stand with her during the show if you want. I can send her out.”

“Oh,” Lena’s eyebrows perk a little but her smile doesn’t fade, “that would be lovely.”

“Okay, I’ll go get her,” Kara turns to leave, then rethinks, stops to add, “I hope you like the show.”

“I’m sure I will,” Lena answers then Kara’s off through the crowd again, body a-tingle and a blush heavy from her neck right up to her ears.

Barry’s sitting on the couch with Iris when Kara arrives in the doorway and he loudly calls her name when he sees her, “Kara!”

Sara and Kendra turns in unison to face her, smiling and shaking their heads as they take her in. Kara gives Barry a wave as she tries to ignore the look she’s getting from both of her girlfriends as she approaches. “Kendra, could you go stand with Lena? She’s over by the stage.”

“Of course,” Kendra says with a chuckle as she climbs off Sara’s lap. She plants a quick kiss on Kara’s cheek as she passes, whispers, “you still need to do your soundcheck.”

“Shit,” Kara says mostly to herself but Sara’s still staring right at her, smiling wide and annoying.

“So how’s Lena?” Sara lifts her beer to take a swig but keeps her eyes on Kara.

“Fine,” Kara answers, getting ready to spin around and head for the door but Sara reaches out to grab her forearm.

“Come here,” then Kara’s tumbling into Sara’s lap, arms reaching blindly for various parts of Sara’s body to keep herself upright. The position she falls into has their faces perilously close together and Sara wastes no time in leaning forward to kiss Kara soundly, a hand snaking onto Kara’s thigh and squeezing gently. “You’re gonna be fine,” Sara whispers against her mouth before going in for a second kiss that has Kara humming against her lips.

“Alright, break it up,” Alex hollers as she appears in the doorway.

Kara leans in to kiss Sara again in rebellion and Sara is more than ready to welcome the kiss, adding in just enough tongue that Alex balks behind them. Kara feels giddy now, the nervous electricity introduced by Lena has burned off a little but she can still feel it roiling in her gut with her pre-show jitters. “Go tune up,” Sara whispers against her mouth again before tapping at Kara’s thigh to urge her up.

Alex is still shaking her head when Kara passes her and she hears Alex start the “please don’t make out with my sister in front of me” talk with Sara as she heads down the hall. Lucy’s on stage too, testing the mics as Kara sets up at her keyboard to check everything out. She checks every cable she can see, tightening connections and rearranging the knotted mass Kevin left at her feet. She’s in the middle of swapping a weird cable underneath her keyboard when she spots Kendra and Lena in the crowd. They’re a little ways in but centered up, Kendra leaning close enough to Lena that Kara gets a flash of them kissing and sits up so quickly she smacks her head on the keyboard.

Lucy turns around sharply, “you okay?”

“Yeah, no, I’m good,” Kara answers, shaking her head and reaching up to rub at the sore spot.

Lucy just nods, rolling her eyes as she returns to check the levels on the mics. Kara spends the next couple minutes trying not to watch Kendra and Lena too carefully but when Sara rocks up on stage behind her she immediately points them out. “She looks like a mom at a rock concert,” Sara says into Kara’s ear before kissing Kara on the cheek.

Kara’s ready to scowl at Sara but feels some kind of residue on her cheek and when she lifts her hand to touch it, her fingers come back tinged with pink lipstick and glitter. The scowl comes then, full furrowed brow and narrowed eyes but it’s met with a cheeky grin and a cheekier wink that twigs something low in Kara’s belly. _Cheating_. Alex eyes Kara’s cheek as she takes the stage, shakes her head as Iris follows on after her and suddenly the crowd is raucous in Kara’s ears. A kind of cacophonous roar that peaks in a few errant squeals from the front as Lucy introduces them. Kara catches a smile from Lena as Alex counts in their first song and doesn’t stop smiling the entire show.

 

—

 

Their encore goes on for two more songs than they’d planned for, one of which ends up being a rocky Pat Benatar cover they’ve only played twice but the crowd eats it up. Lucy’s a little hoarse when she thanks the crowd for coming out and as the lights go up Kara breathes a heavy sigh of relief. Despite her thorough cable check, Kevin still managed to screw her over twice in two different songs. A quick sweep of the crowd let Kara know nobody actually noticed but Kevin is still going to get a stern talking to if she can find him.

Lena and Kendra were still huddled close when Kara saw them last, hands raised high and Kendra’s voice a familiar holler above the din. With the lights up they seem to have disappeared and just as Kara stands to get a better look for them Lucy’s at the front of her keyboard. “Did Kevin do your cables?” She asks, hands skimming the back of the board.

“Could you tell?” Kara’s attention snaps back to Lucy, then down to her keyboard as she flicks it off.

“We’re gonna go talk to him.” Lucy reaches for Kara’s hand then tugs, pulling her up from her seat and then down the stage stairs. Kara thinks she catches sight of Kendra as they whip past the bar but then Lucy’s tugging her down the hall to the back office where Kevin and a couple other techs are passing around a pipe. “Hey shitbag,” Lucy yells, reaching out to snatch the pipe from Kevin’s hands.

“Yo!” He hollers, hands reaching out after the pipe but Lucy raises it up out of his reach and tugs Kara forward a little.

“Apologize for fucking up.”

Kevin looks up at Kara, eyes taking a second to focus before he looks back up to his pipe then down to Lucy. He’s high enough that he probably doesn’t even know what they’re talking about but an apology comes tumbling out of his mouth anyways, “sorry, kiddo.”

“Fuck you dude,” Lucy says before Kara can say something similar.

“You did the same thing last time we were here,” Kara starts, trying to catch Kevin’s attention with a wave of her hand but he’s back to staring at his pipe. Last time was a disaster so at least tonight wasn’t a repeat but with Lucy all riled up next to her and with that remnant show energy running through her system Kara kind of feels like starting some shit.

So she reaches for the pipe and dunks it into the beer sitting on the table.

The whole room erupts in cries then Lucy’s laughing and fleeing the room, Kara’s hand still held fast in her own. They’re both laughing when they get back to the stage but Kara’s giggles die down as she spots the neon pink of Sara’s hair already at the bar. Kendra’s at her side and so is _Lena_ , the three of them pressed awfully close as Sara tries to get the bartender’s attention.

Lucy is still laughing, trying to say something between breaths but Kara can’t make it out, is too preoccupied with watching the girls at the bar. Finally, Kara hears: “...or cut your cables.” Her attention shifts quickly and Lucy’s shaking her head, smiling wide as Kara asks her to repeat.

“What?”

“The next time he works our stage he’s either gonna get everything perfect or cut your cables.”

“Shit,” Kara says quietly.

“Don’t worry,” Lucy says, squeezing Kara’s hand, “I won’t let him. Now please, stop mooning and go make out with Sara or whatever it is you’re thinking about while you’re not paying attention to me.”

“Oh,” Kara feels a blush at her cheek, turns to Lucy with a frown, “sorry.”

But then Lucy’s shooing her off and Kara’s weaving her way through the crowd, snagging a few errant high fives and a pat on the back before she makes it to the bar. “Hi.” Her attention is specifically on Lena who’s a little sweatier than Kara last saw her, errant wisps of hair free from her ponytail framing her face.

“Hey, hot shot,” Kendra says from beside her, an arm settling against her back to bring her in for a side hug. “Sara’s getting us shots.”

“Oh no,” Kara tries to protest but it’s too late, the shots are being passed out and Kara winces at the smell. “Fireball?”

“Don’t pretend like you hate it,” Sara clinks their glasses together and Kendra and Lena join in too then they’re downing their shots in one go and Kara is trying not to shake too much as the liquor slides down her throat.

“I don’t think I’ve had Fireball since undergrad,” Lena admits as she places her empty shot glass on the bar. She’s smiling but her eyes turn curious as they flick to Kara’s cheek, then she’s reaching out to run a thumb across it. “You’ve got a little.”

“You’re welcome,” Sara pipes up, that same cheeky grin on her face as she scoots away from the bar to latch onto Kendra. Kendra just rolls her eyes while Kara tries to rub away the glitter but with the way Kendra starts to smile Kara’s apparently only made it worse.

Lena’s smiling at her too as she sips what Kara guesses is water by the size of the cup. “Do you want a drink?”

“Oh, no,” Kara frowns, puts a hand to her stomach, “I’m actually kind of starving.”

“Me too,” Lena agrees almost too quickly, “I’ve been in the lab all day and I didn’t get to eat dinner.”

“You two should go to Digby’s,” Kendra offers, the hand still at Kara’s back squeezing gently, “they’re open ‘til like four. Lena do you like diner food?”

“Of course,” Lena answers, head nodding.

“I could demolish a BLT right now.” Kara’s stomach growls at the mention of food, loud enough that Kara swears she feels it rumble against her hand. “You don’t mind leaving?”

Lena looks around the bar, shrugs and smiles, “the diner sounds amazing.”

“We’ll pack up your gear,” Sara’s smiling at Kara like she’s got some devilish plan bubbling into existence but then she nods her head towards the door, adds, “you two kids have fun.”

It’s the second time she’s been called a kid tonight and she wants to smack Sara for it but then Lena’s offering Kara her hand and okay, maybe the hitting can wait until later. Lena ditches her drink at the bar and Kara grabs her hand, lets Lena lead them through the crowd this time and out the front door.

They pass through a cloud of smoke just outside, a cache of people leaning against the wall outside, huddling close. Lena leads the way until they hit free sidewalk, until Kara can properly stand next to her and nudge her in the direction of the diner. Lena drops Kara’s hand, reaching up to pull her jacket a little tighter around herself. With the sun gone the temperature’s dropped but Kara’s still warm from being under the house lights, from the shot burning in her gut. “You sure you don’t mind the diner?”

“I know I’m a Luthor, Kara, but I’m a PhD student. I’ve spent plenty of early morning hours in diners, I promise you.”

“Oh, no I didn’t mean,” Kara starts but Lena tilts a little to knock Kara with her shoulder.

“I’m just kidding, it’s fine. I could really use a cheeseburger, actually.”

“And a milkshake?” Kara adds with a smile.

Lena hums, “definitely a milkshake.”

Digby’s is bustling. They have to wait a few minutes to get a table but fortunately they get one in the corner, far enough away from the counter that it almost feels private. Well as private as a place full of drunk millennials can be. The hostess leads the way, Kara following after Lena and in this light Kara can actually see what Lena’s wearing. She’s got honest to goodness _Doc Martens_ on, they don’t look new but they’re close to it and black skinny jeans tucked into them. She’s got a white blouse on under her jacket, a little too stark under the fluorescents but it’s close to sheer when Lena turns to take her seat. Sara was right, she kind of does look like a mom at a rock concert but it’s a look that works for her and for Kara, honestly.

They order as soon as their waitress arrives and Kara all but chugs her water, being on stage always sucks the moisture right out of her. Lena chuckles softly as Kara drains her cup and Kara laughs awkwardly, pushes the cup towards the end of the table in hopes their waitress will return to fill it.

“You were great tonight,” Lena says as she starts to shuck her jacket.

Kara’s eyes flick down for a brief moment but as soon as they catch a glimpse of Lena’s bra beneath her shirt they shoot back up. She stumbles a little on her reply which only seems to make Lena smile: “T-thanks, yeah, it went okay but Lucy and I had a talk with the tech guy after so next time it should be perfect.”

“It sounded amazing to me, everything did. Actually,” Lena pauses, leans forward a little, “I was kind of worried I wouldn’t like your music at all.”

“Really?”

“Well, not everyone is in a _good_ band. Someone invites you to see their band play, you’ve got maybe a 20% chance you’ll like it.”

“You know, I didn’t actually invite you,” Kara says, smiling.

“You know what I mean,” Lena laughs, steeples her fingers on the table. “I feel very fortunate that you’re in a _good_ band.”

“You’re welcome,” Kara laughs.

Lena’s about to reply when their milkshakes appear out of nowhere, strawberry for Kara and chocolate for Lena and they’re heavenly. Conversation completely peters out as they both dive in for long drinks, Kara holding her milkshake in both hands and tugging it forward to get better straw leverage. They both sigh in pleasure at almost the same time, the milkshake apparently hitting the spot for Lena as well as it does for Kara. Their food shows up not a minute after, french fries still hot to the touch and the patty on Lena’s cheeseburger is actually still steaming when she removes the top to add her condiments.

“That looks so good.” Kara’s mouth is watering as she eyes Lena’s cheeseburger. Her BLT obviously looks great but there’s something about a cheeseburger at 1am that’s absolutely magical.

“You want half?” Lena offers, already pulling her knife out.

“What? No, no,” Kara waves her hands in protest but Lena’s shaking her head.

“I get half of yours, you get half of mine.” Then Lena’s cutting her burger and swapping half out for half of Kara’s pre-cut sandwich. Kara’s heart does a flip as her stomach growls in triumph.

“You’re amazing,” Kara murmurs mostly to Lena but partly to the cheeseburger too.

Lena’s still laughing as Kara takes a bite of her BLT then immediately a bite of her cheeseburger and she feels like she’s floating. She did eat dinner, a pretty hefty one too, but in this moment—still a little high on her performance and excited about what might happen _after_ she eats—Kara’s ravenous.

Conversation, once again, slides into disuse as both of them attack their food, pausing every few minutes for a nice long drink of their milkshakes. Surprisingly, Lena finishes her food first but that has everything to do with the attention Kara’s given her milkshake. By the time Kara finishes her food Lena’s only halfway through her own shake and when Kara finally looks up from her plate Lena’s watching her with soft eyes, dark despite the lighting overhead and she’s well—

“Kara?”

The tone of Lena’s voice is just the right side of inquisitive that Kara realizes she’s spent more than a few moments staring straight at Lena’s mouth. It’s hovering just above her straw as she says Kara’s name but her lips are still close enough to it that it rests against her bottom lip. Kara blinks, shakes her head a little then snaps her attention up, “yeah?”

“I’m still hungry.” Lena’s mouth slides down, lips grasping the straw again and Kara’s eyes move with it. She watches Lena’s lips purse, lets her eyes flick to watch the long line of Lena’s throat as she swallows and then suddenly she’s speaking again, “are you?”

Kara’s mouth is dry and her stomach is full but it’s also fluttering, wild and rampant and there’s a familiar heat, lower down, that twitches when Lena’s lips release her straw. “Yeah,” Kara says without a second thought.

Lena’s smile is a little devilish as she stands, grabbing her coat and pulling some cash from her wallet to set on the table. Kara barely looks at it, trusts that Lena left enough for a tip, not caring at all that Lena’s paid for another meal because Lena said she was _hungry_ and Kara knows exactly what that means. Kara thinks she sees the waitress wave at them as she follows Lena out the door but all she’s really paying attention to is the curve of Lena’s hips as she walks and the swing of her ponytail as she steps out into the parking lot. She’s smiling when she looks back at Kara, reaching out her hand and Kara grabs it, holds on tight as Lena pulls them a little farther out of the way. They swing around a darkly lit corner and Kara didn’t think her first kiss with Lena would be in an alley between a diner and a cash advance store but she doesn’t care—

Because Lena tastes like chocolate.

And okay also like a cheeseburger, sweet and salty but she’s also so _soft_. Her blouse is already bunched in Kara’s hands but Kara can feel the press of soft skin beneath it, hot to the touch. Lena’s got both her hands bracketing Kara’s neck, fingers teasing at Kara’s hairline as she holds Kara in place to kiss her a little harder. They make it two kisses in before Kara feels tongue, lapping at the stretch of her bottom lip and she wastes no time inviting it in, lets the hum of Lena’s approval vibrate along her jaw. Lena’s lipstick makes movement a little staccato, Kara needing to almost pull away entirely to resituate but the more they kiss, the less of a problem the lipstick becomes. Kara thinks she can see smudges of it along Lena’s cheek in the dim lighting and she can taste it on her tongue when she sucks at Lena’s lower lip.

Kara’s hands slide slowly under Lena’s blouse, fingers inching down then up under the fabric until she hits soft skin and Lena sighs into her mouth, smiles as Kara’s hands skim around to her lower back. She feels her knuckles scrape a little ways in, the fabric of Lena’s blouse catching against something, on the _brick wall_ behind them and Kara stops, mumbles, “your shirt,” against Lena’s mouth.

Lena barely notices the words but she yelps a little when Kara starts to turn them, hands gripping Lena’s hips and pulling her up just enough that Kara can swap places with her. Lena stills as they turn, mouth hovering over Kara’s as she asks, “did you really just trade places with me so I don’t get my shirt dirty?”

Kara leans forward, presses a kiss to Lena’s lips and whispers, “maybe.”

Lena’s laughing as she starts kissing Kara’s again but then she’s _pressing_ into Kara’s front, settling into the open vee of her legs and sliding a hand into Kara’s hair. Her nails scratch at Kara’s scalp just as she bites down on Kara’s bottom lip and Kara keens in Lena’s mouth, bucks her hips. Lena smiles as she repeats the motions, this time pressing her hips against Kara’s as she bucks, meeting pressure with pressure, pinning Kara against the wall and Kara feels a heavy heat start to build between her legs. It’s been mere minutes but Kara’s already worked up enough that when Lena whispers her name, Kara feels it in every nerve along her spine.

She stays pinned. Lena seems to almost anticipate every buck of Kara’s hips, pressing in at every attempted lift, and Kara wonders if she’s really that easy to read or if Lena just knows her that well already. There’s brick scratching at the back of her shoulders, hard enough she might even have marks in the morning but Lena keeps licking into her mouth, keeps scratching at Kara’s scull in lazy, even strokes and Kara would melt into the wall if she thought it would keep Lena against her.

Her hands have slid all the way under Lena’s shirt, forearms too, wrapping around Lena’s lower back in a loose hug, keeping her in place. Lena still has a hand in Kara’s hair but the other is at her hip, fingers toying with the waistband of Kara’s jeans until they slide up and under, skating ribs and the soft fabric of Kara’s bralette. When Lena’s hand slides higher, palm hitting breast Kara feels herself whimper against Lena’s lips, feels Lena smile as she closes her hand, thumbing Kara’s nipple.

Kara loses some time after that. Her thoughts fogged by Lena’s hands, Lena’s mouth and the crook of her jaw and she doesn’t come to until she feels something buzzing in her back pocket. Once, twice, three times and that’s enough for Lena to notice too. Kara hums a soft no as she steps back but she doesn’t move too far away, just enough that Kara would have to lean forward to kiss her. And she does, just once as she reaches into her back pocket for her phone. “It’s Sara,” Kara says softly, Lena’s mouth so close that Kara feels the heat of her own breath reflected back on her lips.

_Sara: leaving soon_

_Sara: leaving now_

_Sara: is lena a good kisser?_

Kara laughs, pulls back to put a little distance between them so Lena can see her phone, “she wants to know if you’re a good kisser.”

Lena ignores the phone, leans forward to kiss Kara again. “Am I?” She mumbles against Kara’s lips. Kara’s response is a hum of pleasure as she kisses back, languid and slow until she feels Lena’s turning. She breaks the kiss, breathes out heavy against Kara’s mouth as she turns to look out at the street and in the light from a street lamp Kara sees her eyes narrow.

“What?”

“It doesn’t say ‘ _ is Lena a good kisser?’ _ Kara, it says ‘ _ Lena  _ looks _ like a good kisser’ _ .”

“Huh?” Kara turns back to re-read the text and sure enough—

There’s a horn then, loud in Kara’s ears and she follows Lena’s line of sight to a car across the street. To  _ Kendra’s _ car across the street and Sara in the driver’s seat, window rolled down and a hand waving out the window. “You ready?” She calls out and Kara lets out a shuddery sigh against Lena’s throat as she turns to hide her face in Lena’s neck.

Kara feels Lena’s breath hot against her own neck, both of Lena’s hands smoothing along the gentle bumps of Kara’s spine. “At least they didn’t leave you,” Lena says softly.

“I wish they had,” Kara whispers against Lena’s neck before standing upright. Lena takes a step back, hands sliding out of Kara’s hair and cool air pooling into the space between. Kara lets her hands fall from Lena’s waist, tries not to frown when she does but she must because Lena reaches out to hold her hand.

“We’ll get lunch this week,” she offers.

“We’re definitely get lunch this week,” Kara agrees, squeezing Lena’s hand as she leans forward to close the space between them. She only kisses Lena once more, gentle and slow and Lena hums a “definitely” against her mouth as she pulls away.

“Wait, do you need me to walk you to your car?” Kara’s only a few steps towards the sidewalk when she turns back but Lena just smiles.

“That’s my car,” Lena answers, pointing to a shiny black sedan near to where Sara and Kendra are pulled over.

“Oh, okay, cool,” Kara reaches up to adjust her glasses, notices they’re smudged to high hell and feels heat high in her cheeks. “So, um, I’ll text you.”

“You better.”

Then Kara’s half-jogging across the street, trying to keep an eye out for traffic and also give Sara the evil eye as she climbs into the back seat.

“You got lucky, she looks like a really good kisser,” Sara says as she puts the car into drive and pulls onto the road.

“Shut up,” Kara huffs as she fastens her seatbelt. She watches Lena cross the street in the rearview mirror, a hand unconsciously raised to her lips as she pulls out her phone.

_           Kara: lunch on Wednesday? _

_           Lena: How about Tuesday? _

_           Kara: even better _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus content: I made a collage/graphic/whatever to post on Tumblr for DCTVFemslash week if any of you want some good aesthetic vibes~~~ [xxx](http://falsealarm.tumblr.com/post/166078841893/dctvfemslashweek-day-5-polyamory-dont-be)
> 
> ALSO if you read this fic within an hour of it being posted some emojis I pasted in deleted part of chapters 2 and 4 without me knowing????? So that has been fixed, I can't believe AO3 done me so dirty. Preview your fic before you post friends.


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